Rhetorical pattern that emanated from the print media in Thailand
was a clear indication of the paranoiac insistence of the Sri
Lankan Government's design to win the hearts and minds of Thais,
who are predominantly Buddhists, to justify as well as to
internationalize the on-going war against the Tamils. In the Thai
language, the word "Tamil" is derogatory and
contemptuous. Sri Lankan Government feels that it is easy to win
over Thais, with such age-old aversion towards Tamils and by
propaganda that the war against the Tamils is to safeguard
Buddhism.

However, despite
Sri Lankan Governments insistence of Tamil militants activities
in Thailand, Thai authorities adopted a very balanced approach to
deny of any such involvement and dispelled doubts in the minds of
Thais, to the sigh of relief to the very small section of the Sri
Lankan and Indian Tamil community residing on a temporary basis
in Thailand.

Thailand is a
country with kind and hospitable and a very lively people. The
country attracts people from all over the world, not only for the
scenic beauty and for the well-preserved customs and traditions,
but mainly for the generous kindness, friendliness and for the
peoples' warmth smile written permanently in their faces.
Unfortunately, invidious attempts are made to insinuate the
hearts and minds of Thais with instigated details of Tamil
militants using the Thai territory as base for subversive actives
against the majority Buddhist in Sri Lanka.

Buddhism the
religion that preached pacifism is being politicized for desired
cause and effects' adopting a calculated approach to win over the
support of Thailand. Political observers admit that it was a
cleverly orchestrated ploy, designed by the Sri Lankan Government
and carried out ingeniously, making use of the media. Thai print
media, very vociferous, boldly tow an independent line, free from
all sorts of interventions, but has inadvertently fell prey to
the dubious scheming and manipulation. Once the lingering doubts
are cleared, the issue of Tamil militants using Thailand a base,
would be put behind conclusively.

Earlier, Kingsley
Wickramaratne, Sri Lanka's minister for Internal and
International Commerce and Food, in an interview with the Thai
English daily, "The Nation" said, "The Tamil
Tigers are not using Thailand as a base, but rather as a transit
point or moving base. They have many similar bases around the
world."

The issue of the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) using Thailand as a base
for arms smuggling was first raised by Lakshman Kadirgamar, the
Sri lankan Minister for Foreign Affairs, when he last visited
Thailand 18 months ago. Sri Lankan government repeatedly charged
that the Tamil Tigers (LTTE) use an island near Phuket province
in the South of Thailand, to smuggle arms into their stronghold
in the Wanni region.

Thai Intelligence
Chief told that, it was an "old story." Bhumarat said,
"We have made it clear to Sri Lanka several times that, we
have found no solid evidence to justify their claims."

Lawrence, along
with a local Thai partner runs a shipyard at the island of Kon
Si-Lae, located in Phuket, in the Southern Thailand. Last April,
Phuket police arrested the Jaffna-born Lawrence, in a crackdown
on smugglers and found a junk in the form of a peculiar vessel
and sophisticated equipment including radar and sonar in his
shipyard. Police also suspected those speed boats that were built
in a shipyard in Phuket's Koh Si-Law area, are being made for the
Tamil Tigers. Thai police revealed that when they searched the
shipyard found four speed boats in completed condition and the
fifth one nearing completion.

Sri Lankan
Ambassador to Thailand, Karunatilaka Amunugama, approached the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to arrange a meeting with Lawrence,
who was then in custody, for questioning. As the matter was in
the hands of the judicial system in Thailand, the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs found it difficult to arrange such a meeting.
Everybody knows that, the Thai judicial system functioned
independently and free from governmental interventions.
Eventually, it was confirmed that no such meeting took place
between the Sri Lankan embassy officials and Lawrence.

Thai police tried
to link Lawrence to the Tamil Tigers, but found no evidence to
support their suspicion. The Special Police Chief, Major General
Saweek Wattanakit said that Lawrence who holds Norwegian passport
was released after police found that he had no connection with
the Tamil Tigers.

Earlier, Thai
print media reported that they received confirmation from the
Thai army chief General Surayuth Chulanont, that Tamil Tigers
have set up bases in Southern Thailand after being forced to
evacuate from Twente Island off Myanmar (Burma), in 1996. News
report began to come out in Thai press on an assumption that
nothing has been done by the authorities to boot the Tamil
militants out of Thailand. Thai media reported the approach
adopted by the Thai authorities in handling the Tigers was to
continuously nag them, until they pack up and leave. Thai Print
media further reported that the Tamil Tigers have opened
companies in Phuket to serve as fronts for their activities.

Thai military
officials however have previously confirmed reports that, Thai
territory near Phuket is being used as a support base by the
Tamil Tigers. At present, after extensive investigation, Thai
military officials have concluded that they have not found any
incriminating evidence that, the Tamil Tigers has actually run
weapons through the area.

Once, after the
release of Lawrence from the police custody, the Thai army chief
General Surayuth Chulanont said in an interview that, so far no
legal action could be taken against Lawrence, as he legally
entered the Kingdom of Thailand and his business is completely
legitimate.

He added,
"His (Lawrence's) ship building business is a normal one,
serving many people. However we will keep contact with the Sri
Lankan embassy and will monitor his activities."

In its 10 June
issue, The Nation, which quoted anonymous senior intelligence
source reported, "It is found Lawrence supports the Sri
Lankan rebels by shipping them petrol and food stuffs, such as
canned food. However, we cannot take any action against him,
because his activities have nothing to do with arms
smuggling."

"Lawrence
done his business properly. In shipping petrol to Sri Lanka, he
has done everything according to regulations, such as having
appropriate documents and hiring registered shipping company,
sources said."

"The source
acknowledged that vessels belonging to the LTTE had been anchored
in Phuket province few years ago. The distance from Phuket to Sri
Lanka is the shortest, compared with the country's other
provinces."

"We believed
that the vessels were that of the LTTE's, but we could do
nothing, because they loaded only petrol and food. It is beyond
our jurisdiction and mandate to determine their itinerary or
block them from going to their planned destinations, possibly to
Sri Lanka, he said."

"Referring to
Sri Lanka's claims of Thailand as an LTTE base, the source said
the rebels no longer want to purchase weapons from this region.
It is true the LTTE in the past purchased small weapons from
Cambodia, but in small quantities."

"So far, the
LTTE has confiscated large amounts of weapons, including tanks
and other heavy weapons from the Sri Lankan government which has
lost many areas to the rebels. The weapons confiscated were more
sophisticated than those purchased from Cambodia. So they did not
want any weapons from our region."

Even after
Lawrence was cleared from any wrong doings, speculation is still
rife with the Thai print media about the finding of a piece of
junk scrap, said to be a submersible, but not seaworthy, even the
matter was cleared by the Thai authorities. Thai foreign ministry
and other connected agencies in Thailand clarified that the
structure in the form of a half-built miniature submarine
discovered in a shipyard owned by the Tamil in Phuket, is a piece
of junk scrap, abandoned for years and was not believed to be
seaworthy or meant for the Tamil Tigers, who are fighting a war
against the Sri Lankan Government armed forces, for a separate
homeland for the Tamils.

Earlier,
"Bangkok Post" another Thai English daily, in it's 7
June issue, quoted a Thai intelligence official saying the
5-meter long vessel was meant to be used for sabotage missions by
the separatist guerrillas of Sri Lanka. Supat Chitranuk, the
Deputy spokesman of the Thai foreign ministry, while denying the
superfluous news report said a government report on the submarine
determined that it had been abandoned for years and was not
believes it to be seaworthy or meant for the Tamil Tigers.

Even after the
Tahi authorities clarified the issue, the English language
dailies, "Bangkok Post" and "The Nation"
continue to "cry wolf." The Nation in it's 8 June,
edition carried an editorial comment with the headline
"Thailand must join the anti-terrorist fight."

Whilst
appreciating The Nation's concern about Thailand - the land of
thousand smiles, to be free of foreign terrorists and terror
organization, the print media has to be told that, they should
not be made used by a country which preposterously and
provocatively unleash anti-Tamil propaganda in the international
arena, to justify its war machination against the Tamils, which
also continuously deny the Tamils with their right of
self-determination.

Sri Lanka,
which internationalized the ethnic conflict by declaring war
against the Tamils on 11 July 1979, by the then President
J.R.Jeyawardene, the Reynard, and dispatched for the first time
to the Jaffna district, the Sinhalese military under the command
of a Brigadier, with the mandate to wipe out the Tamils
spearheading the demand for a separate Tamil state.

Since that date,
the country is technically on a state of war with the Tamils.
Successive Presidents of Sri Lanka had continued with the war and
the present President too has not shown any marked difference,
other than the continuance of the bloodied war against the
Tamils. There were couple of cessation of hostilities armed
aggression agreement signed between the Sri Lankan Government and
the LTTE, but later to be flouted. Up to date, it was unfortunate
that there was no armistice to end the war, to find a negotiated
political settlement to the protracted ethnic war, which has so
far killed more than 80,000 people .

Military campaign
is today is seriously accepted as the extension of protest by
both the warring partners in Sri Lanka - in the case of the
Government, it is to subdue the Tamils, whereas the militants
consider it the only democratic option forced on them to wrest
control of their homeland from the siege of the government.
Therefore, the Tamils feel that Thailand a great country, has to
think before becoming a prey to the Sri Lankan Government's
malicious designs.

In the editorial
comment, The Nation said, "Suddenly Thailand is in the
headlines again, as a possible stamping ground for foreign-based
terrorist organizations, especially the Tamil Tigers. For the
time being, the report of a surprise discovery of an unfinished
submersible in Southern Thailand belonging to the Tamil Tigers
must be treated with skepticism. The government and the
provincial authorities must investigate thoroughly before any
conclusion can be drawn. Otherwise, Thailand could be drawn into
the labyrinth of the current conflict in Sri Lanka and its war
with the Tamil Tigers."

The editorial
comment was confusing, when the daily in its same day's issue (8
June) reports in its front page, the lead piece to read,
"Tamil blast kills MP, 21 others - Security alert after
attack - Phuket 'sub' claim rejected."

The Nation in its
report wrote, "Meanwhile, Thai authorities said the
submersible-type vessel in Phuket was simply a scrap-metal dummy,
the purpose of which is unclear."

The Thai English
daily further added, that the Special branch Police Commissioner
Pol. Lt. Gen Yothin Matayomchun said that his men had already
checked the vessel. Yothin said, "It was found to be only
scrap metal built up like a mini-submarine. However its
construction is still incomplete, making it hard to say whether
it could have become a submarine."

The news item
appeared in the Thai media reported, "Phuket Governor
Charnchai Sunthornmut said that, he would have an expert check on
the vessel although he personally did not believe it could be a
submarine. The Governor was speaking after inspecting the
shipyard together with the Third Fleet Commander, Vice Admiral
Saneh Chaichomlert."

Saneh said that,
he did not think that the object could become a submarine, as it
was not equipped with any technology. Meanwhile the Thai partner
in the Lawrence shipyard, told the reporter for the English
Language "Phuket Gazette," that the vessel was brought
in its unfinished state from Bangkok to the shipyard about five
years ago and had been sitting there unattended since then.

National
intelligence chief Bhumarat, repeating the Third fleet commander
Vice Admiral Saneh's claim, said that the object found in
Lawrence's shipyard could not become a submarine, as it is only a
scrap metal built up to look one.

Bhumarat further
added, "It is our understanding that submarines used for
covert operations have a rather rounded shape, not the
rocket-like one, found in Lawrence's shipyard."

Thai foreign
Minister Surin Pitsuwan told the Foreign Correspondent Club of
Thailand that, Thailand would make every effort to prevent the
Tamil Tigers from using its territory as a base.

Surin said,
"We do not want our territory to be used as a transit point
or for anyone to create problems for any country."

Thai foreign
minister who has long dismissed any suggestion of Tamil rebel
activity in Thailand, said the media was being sensationalist. He
also quipped, "I have made it clear to the authorities that
these are issues that be handled more effectively behind the
light of the cameras."

Whilst the news
items, reports and interviews clarifies that there was no need
for any alarm or concern over the alleged submarine structure
found in the shipyard at Phuket, but it was confusing to observe
that The Nation in its editorial comments takes up a different
position with conflicting anecdotes to besmirch the Tamils.

A diplomat from an
Asian country, who wished to remain anonymous, told that the
print media is simply practicing the age old prejudice against
the Tamils. In Thailand it has become the practice to call
anything bad, Tamil. Even the political turmoil of May 1992,
where dozens of Thais were reported to be gunned down, was called
"Purassapa Thamil" - The Tamil May.

Earlier, Sulak
Sivaraksa, an internationally renowned human right activist and a
reputed Buddhist scholar told this writer that, anything bad in
Thai is called Tamil. He said, "If you are called a Tamil,
then you are dreadful person. This of-course we understand,
because we have been brain-washed by the Sinhala."

Concerns are being
expressed by the Tamil community, that the Thai print media's
primary aim of arousing the past prejudicial awareness, might
tend to generate antipathy in the midst of the Thais - the
pleasant people with one thousand smiles.

Thai political
commentators alleged that the lack of a sound strategy has
prevented Thai officials from taking decisive action against
foreign terrorists and the case-by-case attitude is still very
prevalent. But, they hasten to agree that the outmoded Thai
policy is still the best way out. However, Thai authorities,
after a thorough investigation have put to rest for the time
being, the hotly debated issue of Tamil militants using Thailand
as the base, an antinovel theory continuously put forward by Sri
Lanka..

In the meantime,
the war ravages on in the Jaffna peninsula, where the Government
forces are fighting a doomed battle to save the peninsula from
falling in the hands of the Tamil militants, the Liberation
Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

For the last two
weeks there was a marked lull in the military campaign. It was
because the Tamil Tigers showed considerable concern about the
Civilian trapped in the Thenmaradchy war zone. It was earlier
reported that the Government forces were not cooperative to the
pleas of the UNHCR to allow safe passage to 15,000 civilians
trapped in the war sector, to move out.

The international
office of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, in its statement
released on 10 June, has urged the international agencies present
in the Northern province of Sri Lanka, such as, UNHCR and the
ICRC to take adequate measures with the Sri Lankan government to
safeguard the innocent civilians trapped in the war zone. The
press release states as follows:

"The
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has urged the
resident representatives of the UNHCR and the ICRC to
help to arrange a temporary cessation of armed
hostilities between Sri Lankan armed forces and the LTTE
combat formations in the Thenmarachchi division of the
Jaffna peninsula to facilitate the evacuation of Tamil
civilians stranded in the fighting zone.

"The LTTE has
made this appeal to these non-governmental humanitarian
organizations following large scale civilian casualties
sustained in the fighting zones of Thenmarachchi as a
consequence of indiscriminate barrage of artillery
shelling, multi-barrel rocket fire and heavy aerial
bombardment by Israeli made Kifir combat aircraft.
Already a large section of the stranded population has
moved to safe area in Valigamam, Vadamarachchi and Vanni
sector. Yet thousands are still caught up in the
crossfire unable to move to areas of safety. The Sri
Lankan armed forces are pounding the possible routes of
evacuation to prevent civilian movement."

According to
reports emerging from the Jaffna Peninsula, civilians in small
groups are leaving the war ravaged region in search of safer
places. Once the civilians move out, the military campaign is
expected to intensify with full vigor for the capture of
Kodikamam, Kilali and Nagarkovil. Also it is reported that, India
is intensifying its diplomatic efforts to bring the Sri Lankan
and the LTTE to the negotiation table to end the revolving cycle
of the ethnic conflict. The irony of this comical circus is India
and USA consider that talking with the Sri Lanka's President, who
continuously prevaricate would bring an end to the military
campaign, whilst conveniently ignoring the LTTE and its leader
V.Prabkaran, the leading player in the issue, to ascertain their
views on a negotiated settlement.